The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : CII gets into the act

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 30, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

CII gets into the act

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, DEC. 29. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is implementing an action plan to reach food, clothing and housing materials to the people affected by the tsunami.

Since several non-government and voluntary organisations are already supplying food in the coastal areas, the CII is focussing on mobilising foodgrains, drinking water, clothing materials, blankets, utensils, medicines, tent and tent materials. The CII's national president, Sunil Kant Munjal urged members to contribute liberally.

"The money would be used not only for immediate relief but also for post-disaster rehabilitation programmes to be coordinated by the CII."

In Tamil Nadu, apart from collecting clothes donated by employees of the member-companies, including Saint-Gobain, Hyundai, Pepsi and Hindustan Lever Limited supplied foodgrains and water and also provided vehicles for transporting the goods.

The CII has established collection centres with separate bins for clothes, blankets, mats and cooking utensils at 27 Food World outlets in Chennai. Three centres at Stella Maris College, Bala Vidya Mandir and Loyola College in Chennai will receive the collected material, sort, repack and despatch them to the relief centres of the State Government. According to T.T. Ashok, chairman of CII-Tamil Nadu, member-companies and a few colleges in Chennai have nominated more than 150 volunteers to run the collection and warehousing centres.

"Industry wants to be proactively involved in the rescue and rehabilitation work," said Rajesh Menon, regional director of CII, noting that the initiatives were being taken in partnership with the State Governments. Industry was arranging the supply of medicines to relief camps.

Panacea Biotech, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Co, and Nicolas Piramal have sent drug consignments to Chennai. The CII has requested Airtel to enhance its telecom network in Nagapattinam to handle the additional load. Sify Limited has established two internet cafes in Cuddalore.

The company will set up similar facilities in Nagapattinam.

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